The present invention generally relates to an aquatic device such as a recreational or safety flotation body board having a cover and a method for manufacturing the same.
Swimmers and wave riders often utilize flotation devices to reduce effort needed to stay afloat and facilitate riding waves. Numerous types of flotation devices are available, ranging from complex, expensive surfboards to ride high waves off ocean beaches, flotation boards used for rescue by life guards and relatively simple body boards formed from exposed foam. For example, WO 97/29011 to Moran discloses a body board 12 formed by bonding a core 14 of polypropylene foam to a polymeric outer covering 24, 26 using an adhesive heat-shrinkable terpolymer thin film 36. Preferred outer coverings 24, 26 are formed from polyethylene for the upper skin 24 and a friction-reducing covering such as Surlyn® for the lower skin 26. U.S. Pat. No. 6,348,167 to Chen discloses a method of making a surfboard having a unitary structure from a foamed polymeric material.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,106,345 to Yeh discloses a body board 20 made of expanded polyethylene foam with graduated cell sizes having a protective layer 21 heat-laminated to the foam. The protective layer 21 includes antioxidants and ultraviolet inhibitors to protect the foam 20 from degradation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,723 to Plucknett discloses a hard protective lower layer 4 for body boards 1 useful to protect the board 1 from damage and also increase speed over water. The hard protective layer 4 is affixed to the board 1 using a plurality of cooperating threaded fasteners 22, 23 that are disposed through holes 21 in the board 1.
U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2003/0068938 A1 to Fireman discloses a body board 10 that deforms under user's contact and formed from discrete, spaced-apart foam flotation members 12, 14, 16 joined by stitching a cloth cover 22 over and between the foam flotation members 12, 14, 16. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,712,657 to Echecopar discloses a process for manufacturing a surfboard 10 which includes cutting a board blank 20 from polystyrene, longitudinally-cutting the blank 20 in half, mounting an elongate reinforcement member 52 between the halves, shaping the board, inserting the shaped and reinforced board 24 into a heat-expanded sheath 92, lowering the temperature to shrink the sheath 92, removing trapped air from the sheath 92 and sealing the sheath 92.
Thus, while there are naturally many variations of aquatic body boards and methods for producing them, nevertheless there is still a need for a reliable, long-lasting aquatic body board that is sufficiently rigid, able support a user in stable fashion in water, smoothly glide along water when in use with minimal friction and, at the same time, easily and efficiently produced using a minimal amount of material and readily-available equipment. Furthermore, ease of decorating a top surface of the board would provide additional benefits by enhancing both marketing of the board and even use of the board, especially by children, to facilitate aquatic training and safety.